Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be here this morning to address this really important motion on offshore wind energy. At the outset I pay tribute to my good colleague, Deputy Denis Naughten, and our group administrator, Ms Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, who did most of the heavy lifting to prepare the motion

I have just three points to make in the time allowed. The first is about Ireland's geographical location. We have all been under the impression that, geographically, we were disadvantaged because we are a small island on the periphery of Europe hundreds of kilometres away from our main markets. With the advent of renewable offshore technology, the calculus has been altered completely. We are the largest island in the European Union, ahead of Cyprus and Malta, and we are surrounded by the sea. Not only that, we have trade winds coming across the Atlantic, which are a huge untapped resource of which we should take full advantage for a number of reasons. That would bring much cheaper electricity for people and allow us to not only meet but exceed our climate action targets. It would also open a brand new sector of our economy and, most important, provide not only energy security but energy independence. Ireland would become a net exporter of energy for the first time rather than remaining a net importer.

The second point is that although all the potential is great, and it is good to have it, unless we have a governance structure in place to take full advantage, we will go nowhere. That is why I welcome the proposal to establish the marine area regulatory authority, MARA. That primary legislation is currently going through the Houses and that regulatory authority cannot come soon enough. Within 12 months or by this time next year, we must see the authority established, fully funded and staffed so it can be fully operational in Wexford. It is a key piece of the regulatory framework needed for us to progress these projects.

A second authority I would like to see is an offshore renewable development agency that we are hoping to establish. This is basically the IDA Ireland of the sea and it would do exactly on the sea what IDA Ireland does on land. It is all about attracting foreign direct investment, including big multinational players, to set up these floating wind farms and take full advantage of wind and other resources out there.

The third point is that while it is good to have potential and a regulatory framework, unless we have the required infrastructure, we are going nowhere. Infrastructure is one of the preconditions for success and we have much work to do in that regard. Our ports are not set up for this new wind energy revolution coming down the tracks, particularly the ports at Rosslare and Foynes. We must have port facilities that will allow for the assembly of these huge turbines and their maintenance. There will be many spin-offs from the jobs perspective for our coastal communities. My colleagues have mentioned the interconnector and we really need an electric interconnector between Ireland to the heart of Europe so we can export surplus energy that we will have in a few years.

This motion is a really ambitious call for us to have a second Ardnacrusha moment. Our grandparents built that mighty dam in County Clare in 1920, when the country was much poorer. They built it with their bare hands and we are still deriving benefit from it almost a century later. We are trying to do on the sea what our grandparents did on land in providing renewable energy to look after the next generations. We must ensure that they do not make the same mistakes we did over the past 50-odd years.

See this speech in context